


Proof Tony Stark has a cat

by combination4



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Gen, Identity Reveal, Not Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Compliant, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Post-Spider-Man: Homecoming, Shapeshifting, Some Cursing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-12
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:28:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24145150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/combination4/pseuds/combination4
Summary: Danielle was found by SHIELD at a young age due to her shapeshifting abilities and was adopted by Coulson. After his death, she runs away and lives an independent life, until Fury comes to her for help. SHIELD is gone, the Avengers have been split up, and Fury is worried that Tony Stark isn’t going to be there to unite the Avengers when the Earth inevitably needs them again. Fury asks Dani to keep an eye on Stark and do anything she can to reunite Earth’s mightiest heroes and keep them from killing each other.OR Tony Stark has a cat who spends way too much of her time saving his life and preserving his mental health. And the Avengers are confused.
Relationships: Avengers Team & Original Female Character(s), Clint Barton & Original Female Character(s), Peter Parker & Avengers Team & Original Female Character(s), Peter Parker & Original Female Character(s), Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark & Original Female Character(s), Tony Stark & Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 74





	1. Clint is a Hufflepuff

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first real work that I'm posting anywhere, please bear with me as I try to get used to this. 
> 
> This chapter is sort of a prologue for the rest of the work, provides some backstory while the real stuff is gonna start in the next chapter which should be up in the next few days.

“I need you in Seattle.”

“Seattle? I thought you wanted me keeping an eye on Stark.”

“Change of plans, Romanoff can take care of Stark. My contact in CPS has an interesting case in Seattle, kid keeps disappearing on them but swears she’s just ‘taking a quick flight around town before bedtime.’ I need you to go see what’s going on.”

“Fury, why do you have a contact in Child Protective Services?”

“For this exact situation, kids are weird! Better we get to the weird ones first. Report to base, your flight leaves in one hour.”

“On my way.”

~

The hinges of the door protested as it creaked open, interrupting the constant patter of the rain. The woman at the front desk looked up at the disturbance, her frizzy brown hair shifting to rest by her ears, framing her face. She looked to be about 30 and judging by the ring on her finger, she was engaged but not married to a moderately successful partner. A little plastic nameplate on the front of the desk next to the bell read ‘Pamela Robbins’.

“You Agent Coulson?”

Coulson gave her a quick nod. “You were expecting me, Ms. Robbins?”

“Oh, call me Pam! Angela told me you’d be swinging by to take a look at our little problem child. You want to meet her?”

Another nod.

Pam rose from her chair behind the desk and grabbed a set of keys off the wall behind her, then shimmied her way around the desk. She motioned for Coulson to follow as she stuck one of the keys in the door on the side of the room labelled ‘C ward’. Pam noticed Coulson become uneasy as he read the sign and quickly explained that the building used to be an asylum and while it has been mostly renovated, some signs of its past inhabitants still remained. He nodded again, but the uneasiness didn’t fade.

They walked down a long corridor with farm animals painted on the side, like the kind you see at a pediatrician’s office. “So, this girl, you say she disappears?”

Pam pulled the keys out as they reached another door and began to unlock it. “Almost every night, we have no clue how she’s been getting out of her room, it shouldn’t be possible. The door is locked, and the windows have bars on them. She’s a small kid but she can’t fit through those bars. And when you ask her all she says is that she sleeps better if she goes on a ‘quick flight’ before bed.” Pam stopped walking and stuck the key in a door on the right side of the hall. There’s a small painted perched butterfly on the top corner of the doorjamb, with a crack down the middle continuing up to the ceiling.

Pam turned the key and said to Coulson, “She’s all yours, hopefully you can sort out what’s happening.” She turned on her heel and headed back down the way they came. Coulson threw a ‘thank you’ in her direction, then turned back to the door. The only sounds were her heels clacking down the hallway, and the still-constant patter of raindrops.

He knocked twice. It was a heavy, metallic sound, another reminder making the place seem more asylum than children’s home.

Silence.

Coulson knocked again, and unconsciously held his breath as he waited for some kind of answer.

“Yes?” At first the answer was so faint, Coulson wasn’t sure it was real. Then, “who’s there?”

“Can I come in?”

“…okay.”

Coulson turned the knob and pushed the door open, noting that it was just as heavy as it sounded. Immediately his eyes landed on a small girl, no more than 8 years old with wild and tangled blonde hair, piercing blue eyes, pale skin, and an unreadable face. She was wearing a big t-shirt that said ‘I hiked Mt. McKinley’ and clutching a book that Coulson vaguely recognized as a Harry Potter book.

“Hi. My name is Danielle, but my friends call me Dani. Are you a friend?”

Coulson blinked, slightly taken aback by her sudden confidence. “I hope to be. My name is Phil. Whatcha got there?” he motioned towards the book, then inwardly cringed. Phil had exactly zero(0) experience with kids, he’s not sure he’s qualified for this but Dani doesn’t seem to mind. She perked up a bit, a hint of a smile on her lips.

She held up the book, “ _Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban_ , it’s my favorite.” She looked down at the book and then up at Phil. “Have you read Harry Potter?”

“No, I can’t say I have. It’s about wizards, right?”

Dani’s almost smile morphed into an exaggerated frown. “No, it’s about love!” At Phil’s confused face she let out a small giggle, and her lips turned upwards into true smile. “There are wizards though I guess.”

Phil smiled, then motioned to the empty bed next to her. “Can I sit?”

Dani nodded and scooted back a bit to give him more room. Phil sat down and turned to her, a more serious look on her face. Before he could speak, Dani beat him to it.

“You’re here because they think I’m weird.” It wasn’t a question.

Phil was silent for a few moments. Then, “they’re curious… I’m curious.”

“I don’t disappear. And I’m not trying to escape, I don’t have anywhere to go.” She stopped and looked at Phil, who motioned for her to continue. She looked back down at the book still clutched in her hands. “Some wizards can transform into animals. Mice, dogs, cats. But they only have one animal form and it’s still them, just in their animal form. Well I’m like them, but I have a bunch of animal forms. Sometimes I’ll wake up and be a completely new animal. So, at night I get the urge to be a hawk and fly around for a little while. If I didn’t, I would go crazy in this tiny room all day.” She stopped and looked up at Phil with wide eyes, as if she had done something wrong.

“That’s okay, I understand. It would be easy to feel trapped in a room this small,” he reassured, glancing towards the bars on the window. However, he was still a little skeptical. He’d seen shapeshifting before with the Skrulls, but they were aliens. “Do you think you could show me?”

Dani looked up at him, and their eyes connected for a moment. Phil blinked, and suddenly the book fell to the bed, and sat on top of it a calico cat stared back into his eyes. Phil flinched slightly and blinked a few more times. The eyes were different, greener now, with small black slits down the middle. Phil wondered for a moment how, even though the eyes changed completely, he could still recognize them as Dani’s.

Before he could say anything, he blinked again, and she was back. She looked down and picked up the book again gripping it tightly, as if it was the only thing keeping her from floating away. Phil glanced outside at the setting sun, then back at Dani and her tiny form dwarfed by the t-shirt.

“How do you feel about pizza?”

~

Fury picked up his phone after four rings. “Coulson?”

“I found the kid. There’s definitely something going on, I’m just not sure what. Some sort of shapeshifting.”

“Think she’s a Skrull?”

“I don’t think so, she can’t become other people, only other animals.”

There was a pause. Phil stared at the chipping paint on the wall in front him as he waited. “Okay, bring her in.”

“Fury…” Phil hesitated. “What do you need her for? Where is she gonna live?”

“She’ll live on the helicarrier, we can train her. She’ll be a powerful asset once she can control her powers.”

Phil glanced over his shoulder at Dani, who was happily devouring some steaming cheese pizza. “Fury, she’s seven.”

“And?”

Phil turned back to the chipping paint and stared at it hard this time, like he was peeling it with his gaze. “ _And_ she doesn’t deserve to grow up on a secret militant ship. She’s a kid Fury, she needs a family.”

“It can’t be worse than where she is now, and at least we can help her figure out her powers. It’s better for her to be with shield than to be found by someone who would study her and use her.”

“Oh, so what you want to do is different then? Cause it sounds that using her is _exactly_ what you want to do.” There was more bite in his voice than Phil himself had expected, or ever really heard from himself.

Fury was silent.

Phil looked back at Dani who was reaching to grab another slice of pizza, and felt something squeeze, deep in his chest. He would not let her grow up under Fury’s command. “Look if the issue is really that you don’t want her to fall into the wrong hands, if your goal here is really to protect her, then let me take care of her. I’ll adopt her, and I’ll keep her safe and on the right path. Any objections?”

“Coulson how are you going to raise a kid? Your job demands quite a bit of travel and danger. What’s she gonna do the next time you have a long mission and can’t come home for weeks?”

“I know people who can help. Can’t be worse than where she is now, right?”

Fury sighed. “Fine. But once she’s old enough, I will recruit her. And I won’t give you extra time off. Can’t afford to.”

“Fine. Is that all?”

“I need you back in 36 hours.”

“Okay. And Fury, her name is Danielle.” Phil snapped the phone shut and looked back to Dani, a smile on his face.

Dani looked up and smiled back.

He could get used to that.

~

**6 months later.**

A beat-up white CR-V turned off the paved road in the middle of god-knows-where headed out even further away from civilization.

“Jeez Dani I hope you packed everything; I don’t think they even have stores out here. I’m not convinced they even have houses.”

“Of course I did, I’m a very good packer. Besides I don’t need much. I’ve got my book, some extra clothes, and a toothbrush. Plus, I think I saw a gas station back there a few minutes ago, that’s a store.”

“Doesn’t count.”

~

“You’re sure this is okay? I know I you said it was okay a few weeks ago but I sort of sprung this on you out of nowhere, I meant to give you more warning.”

“Don’t worry about it Phil, I know how Fury is. I’m excited to get to know her, and Cooper will be glad to have another kid around. And Laura is super excited.” Clint glanced back towards the house where Laura was greeting Dani on the porch. “We haven’t actually told anyone, but Laura is pregnant again. She swears it’s a girl.”

“Congratulations! That’s exciting. I hope this won’t make her life any more difficult, I really appreciate it.”

“Nah I think it’ll be good for her. It’ll help us get used to having two kids around the house. Plus, I think Nat’s going to visit this weekend, if that’s okay with you.”

“Oh definitely, I get the feeling Dani will love Nat…” Phil trailed off. “Clint, about the whole shapeshifting thing, do you have any concerns? With her being around your family?”

Clint looked up at Phil, surprise evident on his face. “Should I? Look I know what it’s like to be the weird kid, I’m not gonna fault her for it. What I wanna know is, how comfortable is she with it all? Like is she turn into a bird right in front of us, or does she usually avoid using her powers?”

“She knows not to use them in public, but she’s very comfortable with them at home, and she’s getting much better at controlling them. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to seeing a giraffe in my kitchen trying to grab the Oreos from the top of the fridge with her mouth.” Phil shook his head, and Clint let out a small laugh.

“Sounds like a fun time.”

“Certainly never gets boring.”

“Listen Phil I know it’s scary the first time you have to leave your kid, especially in our line of work, but don’t worry, Laura and I will take good care of her. It’ll be good for her to get a break from the city for a while.”

“Thanks Clint.”

“No problem.”

~

“Bye Phil!”

“You have everything you need?”

Dani nodded.

“You’re sure?”

“ _Bye Phil.”_

_“_ Okay, okay, I’m going.” Phil gave Dani a quick but very tight hug and got in the car. As he looked back, she was walking up the steps to sit on the porch with Clint and Cooper. Phil sighed and began to drive away, the now familiar knot in his chest tightening as he put the car in drive.

~

The Barton’s had just sat down to eat, a heaping bowl of pasta set in the middle of the table. Laura began to dole out portions of pasta, then the spoon was passed so they could each choose their own portion of sauce.

“So Dani, how old are you?”

Dani looked up at Laura and answered with a smile, “Well, we’re pretty sure I’m eight now, I got dropped off at a fire station in March and they think I was about a month old when that happened. So we celebrated on February 20, cause that’s Rhianna’s birthday.”

Laura was still looking at Dani, with a soft, sympathetic gaze. She didn’t know what to say.

“Wha- that’s so cool! Mom can I pick my birthday? I want Ironman’s birthday!”

Clint scoffed. “Rhianna is a much better choice than Tony Stark. And no, we know when you were born, so you don’t get to choose. Sorry little man.” Clint smirked and reached over to ruffle Cooper’s hair.

Cooper scrunched his face up and crossed his arms, the exact image of a kid about to throw a tantrum. Laura noticed this and was quick to change the subject.

“Phil said you like Harry Potter?”

Dani nodded.

“Dad loooooves Harry Potter!”

Dani looked at Clint with wide eyes. “You do?”

Clint nodded. “What can I say, I’m a sucker for incredibly well-written and fully developed stories! I’m not insane. What Hogwarts house are you?”

“Well it’s kind of hard to not say Gryffindor, because I feel like the books make it seem like the rest of the houses aren’t quite as… worthy, I guess? But I think if I’m being honest I’m more of a Ravenclaw. What about you?”

“I think-“

“Oh Clint’s a Hufflepuff for sure.” A voice from the doorway cut him off.

“Auntie Nat!”

“Hey Coop! How are you? You’re taller I see.” Dani looked the mysterious woman up and down before settling on her face. She was dressed in normal street clothes, but Dani could see the telltale bulges of weapons that she’d learned to recognize on Phil and his friends. The woman’s face was kind and happy, but not in a way Dani had ever seen before. The emotions seemed real, but like they couldn’t quite make it to the surface of her face, there was something holding them back. Her red hair added to the illusion, bringing out the rosy color of her cheeks in an almost tailored way. The woman looked from Cooper and her eyes landed on Dani. “Hi there. Are you Dani?”

Dani nodded.

“Phil talks about you a lot. He’s very proud.”

Dani smiled, puffed out her chest ever so slightly, and decided she liked this woman. “Are you Natasha?”

“Call me Nat, or Auntie Nat if you want.”

Clint pulled an extra chair up to the table next to his own, and Laura grabbed another plate from the kitchen and the group returned to their dinner. Dani listened as Laura, Clint and Nat caught up and chuckled at their banter as she finished her pasta. She realized later as she lay on an air mattress in the half-formed nursery that maybe this was what people meant when they talked about family.

~

**3 years later.**

A calico cat crept out onto the porch of the Barton farmhouse. Laura sat on the steps talking into the phone in a hushed tone. The cat quietly sat in the shadows, just within earshot.

“But how, what happened?”

“I can’t believe he’s gone. Oh Clint I’m so sorry.”

“How am I gonna tell Danielle? Oh god, she doesn’t deserve this.”

“I know, I know. This isn’t over is it?”

“Please be careful. I love you.”

The cat crept back into the house and crawled into her air mattress, in the room that she was sharing with Lila Barton. Slowly the slits in her eyes changed to circles, and her body stretched out, paws becoming hands, fur disappearing. Soon she was a girl again, and tears filled her eyes as she let out silent sobs for her adoptive father, the first friend she ever made.

~

“Absolutely not Fury! She is staying on the farm with us, she’s not your lab rat or your agent or your asset!”

“Barton she is essentially SHIELD property now, she’s an enhanced teenager and she’s not doing the world any good working all day on your farm. Her skills are invaluable, I just want to give her purpose!”

“No, you want to use her for _your_ purposes! And I won’t have that. And she’s twelve. Not a teenager, still very much a child.”

Dani sat quietly under the window in the living room, listening to Clint and Fury argue over her future. She was only half processing the conversation, as she was still reeling from the news of Phil’s death. Suddenly her ears caught Fury’s words: “She’s dangerous. You really want her hanging around your wife? Your kids?”

Dani decided she didn’t want to hear any more. Suddenly, she was gone, a small brown mouse in her place. She ran to the back door, squeezed her way under, and ran out into the field. She was lost in the grass until a large hawk emerged, flapping its wing and heading out towards the trees at the edge of the property. Dazed, she vaguely wondered how long it would take her to fly to the tropics.


	2. Peter Parker, savior of cats

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We've reached present day! Dani gets to meet Peter and Tony (and Happy briefly), and devises a sort of plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter!  
> Story is starting to take shape, it probably won't be very long but it will have lots of very confused Avengers. 
> 
> Also thanks to everyone who left kudos and nickelthecoin for my very first comment! You guys motivated me to stay up late and write this chapter way faster than I planned.

**4 years later - present day**

Calm waves of clear green water rolled up against a short beach on a warm, sunny, November day. A dark-skinned man with an eyepatch lounged on a hammock hanging on the porch of a small white cottage just above the sand. Clad in all black and a long leather jacket, he was an impossible mix of comfortable and out of place.

The man looked up as a figure emerged from the water, clad in a black two-piece bathing suit, dirty blonde hair pulled back into a loose bun. She looked up at the man, a hint of surprise in her eyes before she walked up onto the porch.

“Fury.” She sat down in a wicker chair by the hammock, her thigh rubbing uncomfortably on a broken piece.

“Nice place. How long you been here?”

“’Bout two years, but I’m thinking you probably already knew that didn’t you?”

Fury shrugged and sat upright on the edge of the hammock. “It’s my job to know. Or at least it used to be. You kept up with the news?”

“You mean the Accords? I read them. Can’t say I’m a fan, feels a bit too lab rat big brother-y for me. I prefer an off the grid oceanside life of solitude.” Dani gestured out towards the beach, empty as far as you could see in either direction.

Fury shrugged, but the ends of his lips twitched showing a shadow of a smile. “Well, I hate to interrupt your endless vacation, but I need your help.” He paused and looked up at Dani, as if expecting some form of protest, but was met with a silent gaze, her face unreadable even to Fury. “How do you feel about Tony Stark?”

Dani scoffed, suddenly a very clear expression of contempt on her face. However, she simply responded “I try not to judge people until I’ve met them myself.”

“Look he’s not my favorite guy either, but as much as I hate to admit it, he is Earth’s best defender, and without Stark, there’s no Avengers. And I guess you could say I’m worried about him. I want you to make sure he stays in one piece until the Avengers are reunited, and then keep them from killing each other. We need them.”

Dani’s face had returned to the unreadable blankness with a strong, steady gaze, a somewhat unsettling sight on a 15-year-old. She stayed silent.

Fury looked out towards the ocean. “Phil’s death united the avengers, and I need your help to reunite them. The world needs your help.”

Fury turned back as he heard Dani let out a sigh. “Wow way to play the dead dad guilt card thanks. Say I consider this mission: how do I go about keeping _Tony Stark_ alive and well?”

Fury shook his head and shrugged. “Your mission kid, I’m not in charge anymore. Though if it helps, I’m pretty sure Stark is more of a cat person.”

“So what, you retired? What are you gonna do?”

Fury settled back into the hammock and spread his arms out wide. “I think it’s time I take a little vacation. You mind?”

Dani stood from her chair and gestured towards the cottage. “Be my guest. No shoes in the house, and you might wanna buy a fishing pole or something, since you can’t… you know. We don’t really have any grocery stores out here.”

“I think I’ll manage.”

Dani started walking towards the steps out to the beach, giving Fury an awkward half salute. “I don’t want you throwing any parties. The things people get up to on this island… pretty fucked up.”

Fury returned the salute and smiled for real this time, watching as Dani waded out into the ocean, went under, and didn’t come back up.

~

The streets of ‘The city that never sleeps’ were oddly quiet, as a mouse crept its way into a department store under the cover of night. Once inside, Dani grew into her human form, and headed towards the women’s department, shivering in her slightly wet bathing suit. She grabbed a Ramones t-shirt and some faded blue jeans, then an olive-green sweatshirt and an outercoat.

~

Tony Stark sat in a random conference room in the Avengers compound, staring at the papers spread out before him. It was pages and pages of the accords, with notes scribbled in all the margins, lines covered with highlighter and scratched out bits. The chaos on the table was reflected in his hair, bits of it sticking out wildly or flattened down on his head, His face was no better, dark, heavy circles around his eyes, in need of a shave.

He glanced out the window and blinked at the sunrise, wondering idly when the sun went down in the first place. He noticed a hawk perched on a tree, and as his eyes came into focus he could swear it was staring right at him, as if they were making eye contact. He shook his head with enough force to make him dizzy, but once he regained his balance and looked again, the bird was gone.

“Fri, what day is it?”

“Friday, boss. You last slept Tuesday night, I would recommend getting some rest before Peter comes over this weekend.” The AI’s voice seemed filled with worry, sympathy, and a little bit of impatience.

Tony grumbled something unintelligible, then agreed that perhaps it was time for him to sleep. He glanced out the window once more, but the tree was still empty.

~

Dani was perched on a tree just outside Tony’s lab at the Avengers compound. It was quite the building. A bit dramatic for her taste, but she couldn’t help but think Phil would have loved it.

She had been observing Tony for two weeks now and was honestly shocked he’d survived this long. The man doesn’t eat unless one of his robots brings him food (usually a smoothie of some sort), he rarely sleeps, and he hardly interacts with anyone. What interested her Dani the most was the kid who comes over every Tuesday and Friday, who she thinks is named Peter. When the kid is around Tony puts of a happy front that seems almost genuine, and he consistently sleeps peacefully the nights after he’s gotten to spend time with Peter. Dani decided the quickest way to get to Tony was through the kid, and she devised a plan.

~

A small calico cat waited in the alley next to Midtown School of Math and Science, searching for the black Audi that shows up to get Peter every Tuesday and Friday. Soon, she clocked it pulling up a few cars down, and a minute later the final bell rang.

Dani scanned the sea of teenagers for Peter’s mop of brown hair. Once she spotted it approaching the car, she darted out from the alley, weaving between the crowd of legs and reached the car right as Peter opened the door. She took her window, hopping straight into the car and then onto the seat.

Peter gasped as he spotted the cat and let out a small squeak. “OHMIGOD HAPPY!”

The driver of the car glanced in the mirror. “Uh-uh no way absolutely not. No animals in the car. That’s not just my rule, that’s Tony’s rule. Get it out kid.”

“C’mon Happy she’s so sweet!” Dani purred and curled up against Peter’s leg as he pet her head. “She’s so cold! Happy!”

“I want no part in this.” The divider slowly raised, cutting Dani and Peter off from the front of the car.

Dani looked up at Peter who was beaming down at her, almost shaking with excitement. He quickly introduced himself and asked her for her name, to which she responded with a content meow. He then proceeded to take a picture of her and told her he was sending it to his friends, cause they’re better at this stuff than he is.

While they waited for his friends to reply, he told the unnamed cat all about his day at school, his night as Spider-man, his crush on his friend, his worry about Mr. Stark, his worry about Aunt May, and anything else that came to mind.

As Peter spilled all his secrets, Dani began to realize why Fury thought she was so valuable, and she felt a little guilty for deceiving the kid like this. He seemed so nice and genuine. She also made a mental note to google Spider-man when she got the chance, as she wasn’t quite sure what the kid was talking about, but it kind of sounded like he’s a vigilante.

Suddenly his phone began to vibrate, pulling Dani out of her thoughts and stopping Peter mid-ramble. He quickly read something on the phone, then looked back down at Dani and squinted.

“Hm… Okay so Ned is currently obsessed with Ashoka (because she’s a badass duh) so he’s suggesting that, but MJ says your eyes scream Luna Lovegood and I’m a fool if I think anything different.”

At the mention of one of her favorite characters ever, Dani purrs loudly and nudges Peter’s thigh with her head.

“Luna?” Peter smiles.

Louder purring.

“Alright, Luna it is.”

~

“Mr. Stark?”

“Hey Pete, come on in,” Tony replied without looking up.

Peter hesitated at the door to the lab, delicately clutching his backpack to his chest. He shuffled on his feet awkwardly for a moment, causing Tony to look up from the gauntlet he was working on.

“Kid? What’s wrong?” His voice was threaded with worry.

“So remember how you said you didn’t want any pets, but that if you _did_ get one you would totally get a cat?”

“I remember the part about not wanting any pet under and circumstances.” Tony’s eyes studied Peter’s face, then moved down to the backpack still clutched in his arms. “Peter. What’s in the backpack?”

“…I think you know what’s in the backpack Mr. Stark.”

As if offering confirmation, Luna (Dani the cat) let out a meow loud enough to be heard through the whole lab. Peter lowered the backpack to the ground, and Dani crawled her way out, taking a quick look around the lab before making her way over to where Tony was now standing. He took a step back, but froze as Dani reached his leg, purring and rubbing on his calves.

“She likes you! Isn’t she the best? Her name is Luna, she picked it herself, she’s really smart.”

Tony stared down at the cat, then back up at Peter, his expression stuck somewhere in between anger, confusion, and contentment. He settled on confusion. “I thought you couldn’t have a cat, isn’t Aunt Hottie super allergic?”

“Aunt _May_ is very allergic to cats… that’s why I thought we’d keep her here.”

This made Tony’s expression shift back to anger, but before he could protest, Peter kept talking.

“Just hear me out okay! I worry about you. You’re out here alone all the time, and I know don’t sleep enough and I know you’re stressed, and pets are proven to help with all of that. Plus she is super smart and low maintenance, and just look at her!”

At this, Tony looked back down at the Dani, slightly embarrassed. “Pete you don’t have to worry about me, I’m fine… But I guess if this cat will make you feel better, than fine. But the minute it becomes a nuisance, it’s out.”

“Thank you, Mr. Stark, wow this is so exciting.” Peter bounced up and down on the balls of his feet. “Oh also, her name is Luna.”

“So you said.” Tony looked up at Peter as he sat on the floor and patted his leg, asking the cat to come sit with him. When she complied, the joy so evident on the boy’s face filled him with a true happiness he hadn’t felt in a long time.

~

For the next few weeks, Tony got used to Dani being around, and even let her sit in his lap on occasion. When the kid wasn’t there of course.

Meanwhile Dani began to get used to Tony as well, gaining a better understanding of the man. One day while she was with Peter, they found and watched the footage from the bunker in Siberia. Peter became angrier than she thought he was capable of being, but Dani just saw two stubborn men filled with Captain America’s ‘I can do this all day’ brand of testosterone. Personally, she preferred Natasha’s method of taking enemies out as fast as possible so she can do her job, but whatever. Watching the video, she realized what a challenge it would be to get Tony and Steve in the same room again.

However, it seemed like Tony was gaining some headway on the accords, and he was fairly close to getting the rogue avengers pardoned. It looked like they could be back at the compound in the next few weeks.

~

In fact, they returned exactly one week later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rogue Avengers in the next chapter!!


	3. Return of the Rogues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dani and Peter meet the Avengers, Mario Kart happens.

It was Thursday, the day before the Rogues were supposed to arrive, and Tony was freaking out.

In the past few weeks, Dani had quickly realized that the reason he spent so much time alone was because he refused to freak out in front of other people. So, he pushed people away so that he could wallow in his own stress and no one would know for sure just how poorly he was doing.

However, what he didn’t know was that the cat hopping onto the table in front of him was actually a person, who had recently become very concerned with his wellbeing. Dani walked over to where Tony was scribbling something illegible on the backside of a piece of paper, pen slipping all over as he struggled to take a full breath. She got right in front of him, and then plopped straight down on top of the paper that seemed to be stressing him out so much.

“Cat,” Tony croaked, barely able to speak. “You’re in my way.”

Dani simply rolled onto her back and looked up at him, paws curled into her chest. and purred, willing him to pet her.

He looked down at her and eventually obliged, running his fingers through her fur. A couple minutes later, his breathing had evened out and he looked exhausted as he came down from the panic attack. “Fri, will you start a pot of coffee?”

Dani looked up at him. Coffee was the last thing he needed right now. He needed sleep, the rogues were set to arrive in seven hours, and if Tony didn’t get some rest, there was no way this reunion was going to go even remotely well.

“Right away boss.”

Dani followed as Tony stood up and headed to the elevator, walking in behind him. He squinted down at her as the doors closed but said nothing. As they arrived on the Avengers floor, he headed to the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee. Before he could take a sip, Dani hopped up on the counter and slowly pushed the mug off the edge while staring at Tony, in true cat fashion. Dani winced as she heard the mug shattered on the floor, hoping the act wouldn’t get her kicked out of the compound. Tony simply stared back as she held her breath. Suddenly, he shrugged and looked down at the spilt coffee, apathetic. “I guess it is probably time to get some sleep.”

A few minutes later, Tony was passed out on his bed, Dani curled up tightly on the pillow next to him, grateful for the chance to rest.

~

Sometime later Dani woke up with a big stretch and yawn. She looked over to find the rest of the bed empty and sat up with a start when she realized how dark it was outside. The rogues should already be here! She leapt off the bed and made her way out toward the elevator, hesitating by the door. She’d used the elevator a few times with Peter and Tony, but never on her own. She was hovering, unsure of what to do when the door dinged open, and FRIDAY spoke from above.

“Good evening Miss Luna. Based off your history in the compound and your inability to speak, I’m going to have guess that you are trying to reach the floor that boss is currently on. I’ll take you to the Avengers’ floor now, he’s in the kitchen.”

Dani stepped into the elevator, once again impressed by FRIDAY (and therefore Tony’s) intelligence. The ride was quick, only one floor down, and then the doors were dinging and opening again. Dani stepped out and into the gaze of five of the most dangerous people in the world. Her eyes quickly landed on Clint, whom she had been excited to see, but at the same time worried that she might blow her cover. She quickly scanned over the rest: Auntie Nat rocking her new blonde hair, a man with long brown hair and a metal arm that she identified as Bucky from the Siberia footage, a man she recognized from the news but whose name she can’t recall, and finally her adoptive father’s all-time hero. His hair was darker, and he sported a thick beard, but she would recognize the man from Phil’s prized trading cards anywhere

“What the hell?” The man whose name she couldn’t remember stared at her with a comedically intense confusion. “Did that cat just take the elevator?” He looked around at the rest of the group, receiving shrugs and shaking heads.

Clint spoke up. “So Stark has a kid _and_ a cat now?”

A kid? So, they had met Peter. Dani wondered if they knew his secret identity as she headed towards the kitchen. She could feel the eyes of the Rogues following her but just held her tail high and looked straight ahead.

As she entered the kitchen, she spotted Tony and Peter standing by the fridge, the former talking in a hushed tone to the latter. “Pete, kid, you gotta calm down. I’ve forgiven him, or at least I’m trying to… I appreciate that you’re on my side but it’s gonna be a lot harder to forgive him if you’re mad at him too. We both made mistakes but… the world needs us. Together.” Dani stopped as she heard Tony, surprised by his maturity.

“It’s just I- you know I saw it? The footage from Siberia? He could’ve killed you Mr. Stark.”

“But he didn’t. We were both angry and scared and so we lashed out at each other.” Tony wrapped his arms around Peter, securing him in a tight hug. “Steve just wanted to protect someone he loved. I can understand that.” Tony squeezed just a little tighter and then let go and grabbed Peter’s shoulders. “Now later we’re gonna have a talk about how you shouldn’t be hacking your way into my stuff young man.”

Peter let out a groan but smiled as Tony threw his arm over the boy’s shoulder.

“For now, you’ve got some Avengers to properly meet,” Tony said, steering Peter back towards the common area and glancing down at Dani. “C’mon cat.”

Dani followed the boys out into the other room and wondered what Peter had done to earn the lecture as Tony pulled Peter out to the middle of the room.

“Everyone, this is Peter. Peter, meet Legolas, Agent Romanoff (last time I gave her a nickname it did not end well for me), Manchurian Candidate, Birdman Number 2, and the one and only Capsicle.”

Peter was practically bouncing on his feet as he stood in front of some of his childhood heroes. “Hi everyone! It’s an honor to meet you all. And Mr. Captain America Rogers sir I’m sorry about earlier, I was just… surprised to see you guys.” He looked down at his feet sheepishly. “I’m really very sorry.”

“No worries kid, I suppose I deserved it. How about a fresh start?”

“That sounds great!” Peter beamed.

“And call me Steve. And that’s Clint over there, Natasha, Bucky, and this is Sam.” Each smiled politely as they were named, except for Sam, who still had the same perplexed look on his face.

“Okay so, does Tony Stark have a secret son or…” Sam trailed off.

“What? No, Pete’s my intern. Helps out in the lab, he’s a smart kid.” Peter blushed at the compliment and his gaze shot down to his toes.

“I guess I can believe that… but what about the cat?” Everyone looked towards Dani who promptly darted over to Tony and weaved her way through his legs affectionately.

“Oh, that’s Luna! She jumped in the car with me a few weeks back and she’s been staying here ever since. Mr. Stark takes really good care of her, he won’t admit it but he really likes having her around.”

“She took the elevator.”

“She’s a very smart cat.”

“Okay!” Tony clapped his hands together. “I think that’s enough introductions for today, Peter and I are gonna head up to the lab. Your stuff should be in your rooms and just let FRIDAY know if you need anything.” Tony nodded, and he, Peter, and Dani stepped into the elevator and rode away.

~

The Rogues had been in the tower for almost two whole days, and Tony still hadn’t seen them since he first greeted them and introduced them to Peter. It wasn’t that he was avoiding them, he was just avoiding their floor of the tower and the armory and training room and anywhere else they might be. And Dani was getting frustrated.

If she was to stand any chance of getting these people to like each other, to trust each other again, she was going to have to get them to interact. She just wasn’t sure how.

~

It wasn’t until Tuesday while she was sitting with Tony and Peter in the lab when she thought up a plan. On Tuesdays Peter always makes Tony go upstairs and play Mario Kart with him before he leaves, and since they were the only two to ever use the Wii, there were only two wiimotes. However, in the common area of the Avengers floor, there were eight wiimotes (due to the fact that Clint and Thor used to break them all the time). Dani silently exited the lab and headed over to the living room, stole one of the wiimotes and dragged it back out into the hall. She then stashed it behind a rather large fern she was certain the boys wouldn’t think to look behind and headed back to the lab to wait.

**Approximately 20 minutes later.**

“I swear we left the remotes right here last week.”

“They’re called _wiimotes_ Mr. Stark. And there are more downstairs, why don’t we just go get one of those?”

“Or we could just build a new one,” Tony grumbled as they walked into the elevator, Dani quickly following.

They could hear the yelling before the doors opened.

“Why is Baby Daisy such an asshole, I never did anything to her!”

“I just don’t understand how the blue shell didn’t hit you, that’s not fair!”

“Why is my character a mushroom?”

“I don’t know Buck, but I think you’re supposed to be moving. Hold down that button right there.”

“Sam is cheating! I don’t know how but he is!”

Once the round was over, the Rogues greeted Tony, Peter, and Dani (‘Luna’) and insisted they stay for a race. One race turned into a few, and before he knew it, Tony was actually having a good time.

Eventually, he had to send Peter home, but he returned to the Avengers floor after seeing him off with Happy. He sat with them in the living room, talking about old memories before the Accords and telling them stories about Peter for a few hours. At some point he asked about Wanda and Vision and was told that they were off somewhere doing their own thing for a while, which was good for Dani because she's pretty certain Wanda would see right through her.

Dani rested in Tony's lap the whole time and he kept a hand running over her back until they called it a night, and he headed up to his floor, where he slept soundly for almost six hours.

Of course, that was when the nightmare hit.


	4. Family Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> basically what the title says

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! I know I wasn't gone long but I went from updating 3 days in a row to radio silence for 3 days, and as I'm writing this I'm realizing it's only been a week since I started this story and that is absolutely insane to me.  
> Anyways thanks for the support and sorry this is kind of a short chapter for how long it took me to get it up oops :/

Dani woke to a hand slapping her in her small cat face. She jumped up and instinctively hissed, backing away from the offensive hand, hackles raised. After the sleep and shock wore off, she realized it was Tony who had slapped her, and that he was clearly in distress.

The sheets were bunched up at his feet, arms flailing, and his body was covered in a thin sheen of sweat. She could hear him panting loudly, his chest rising and falling aggressively as he struggled to pull in air. Dani was still for a moment, unsure of what to do, when he suddenly froze, the only movement remaining his desperate gasps for air, that were beginning to sound like “no”.

Dani took the chance to get closer to him, pawing at his hand. When there was no reaction, she got closer until she was able to curl up next to his chest, nervously purring in an attempt to relax the man. After a few minutes, she could feel his heartbeat begin to slow, and his breathing became more regular. Dani relaxed as well and was beginning to approach sleep again when suddenly Tony shot straight up in bed.

Once again Dani hissed and jumped back, still on edge from being woken up the first time. Tony frantically looked around the room as if he was unsure where he was, then he grabbed his phone of the table, pressed a few buttons, and put it up to his ear. While he anxiously waited for an answer he glanced toward Dani, who was still crouched on the other side of the bed eyeing him warily. She could swear she saw a flash of guilt across his face as he stuck out an open hand in her direction, offering her comfort. She slowly approached, then headbutted his hand and quickly began purring, noticing how Tony visibly relaxed at the contact.

“Mr. Stark?” she heard Peter’s voice through the phone. “Is everything okay?”

Tony relaxed even more at the sound of Peter’s voice. “Yeah, yeah there’s no problem. What are you doing right now?”

“I’m on the way to school, I’ve got a chemistry exam today so I’m meeting Ned and MJ early so we can study. I’m not really worried cause its mostly acid base and buffer stuff which I’m pretty good at, but it is really difficult, and this is exam is worth a lot of our grade so it’s kind of stressful. Plus, I think MJ is actually starting to like spending time with Ned and I because I don’t think she really needs help with chemistry at all, she’s super smart, which means she’s actually choosing to get up early to spend time with us which is huge! Oh, sorry wait why are you calling? There’s not a mission is there? Cause if there is, I’m totally ready chemistry can wait, I’ll just have to call Ned-“

“No, there’s no mission Pete. I just wanted to check in, make sure you didn’t get yourself killed or something. You still coming to the compound on Friday?”

“Oh definitely Mr. Stark, I wouldn’t miss it. Actually, May’s been wanting me to ask, she’s got a double this Saturday so she was wondering if I could spend the weekend there? It’s totally fine if not, I know it’s busy there with all the Avengers, I don’t want to be a burden-“

“Kid,” Tony interrupted. “You are never a burden. Stay the weekend, it’ll be fun. It’s probably time Spider-man meets the Avengers too.”

“No! I mean… I do want them to meet Spider-man, it’s just, I’m not sure I’m ready to tell anyone else my identity just yet. It was scary enough having May find out, I don’t think I can handle all the Avengers finding out right now.”

“Okay, it’s up to you. If you want, you can spend Friday at the tower as Peter the intern, and then on Saturday Spider-man can make an appearance. We’ll do whatever you’re comfortable with.”

“Yeah, okay, I like that plan, that sounds nice. Okay I gotta go Mr. Stark, I’m at school. I’ll see you Friday.”

“See you kid.” Tony hung up the phone and looked down at Dani as he continued to pet her. He looked like he wanted to say something, but couldn’t quite find the words, so he settled for giving her a quick pat on the head. Then, “thanks cat.”

~

Tony was avoiding the Avengers again. Or he may just be avoiding the world in general? All Dani knew was he hadn’t left his lab since he woke up that morning 12 hours ago. Which really wasn’t all that unusual for him, but she was hoping he might talk to the rest of the Avengers again today rather than hiding in the lab. He also hadn’t eaten anything since the pizza he and Peter had ordered the night before, so she was pleasantly surprised when FRIDAY’s voice cut through the music.

“Boss, the Avengers are requesting your presence downstairs for dinner.”

“Tell them I’m busy,” Tony said, not looking up from his work. It looked like it was probably part of his suit, but Dani had no clue what part as it was almost entirely dismantled.

“They are being quite insistent. Colonel Rhodes would like you to know that he is joining for dinner, and he ‘will come drag your ass down here’ if you don’t hurry up.” News of Rhodey made Dani happy, as he was one of her favorite people. He didn’t like her much, but she found him hilarious and he was really fun to mess with.

Tony growled and put his tools down but made no move to get up.

“Mr. Barton would like you to know the pasta is getting cold and Mr. Barnes won’t allow him to eat until you arrive.”

Tony looked towards Dani and made a show of rolling his eyes so hard she was surprised they didn’t fall out of his head. She almost laughed, but it came out as a weird, garbled purr. Tony eyed her curiously. “Tell them I’m on my way.”

The pair headed out to the elevator and down to the Avengers floor. Once again, they could hear yelling before the doors even opened. They made their way into the kitchen, and Dani felt the urge to laugh again.

Bucky was standing protectively in front of the stove, a wooden spoon painted red with sauce pointing towards Clint, who was crouching on top of the kitchen island, attempting to bypass Bucky and get to the pasta. Natasha was sitting on the counter scrolling through her phone, unphased, while Steve and Sam were sitting at the table gasping through their laughter. Rhodey was also sat at the table, but he simply looked exasperated, the red splatter on his shirt and indication that he had tried to get involved.

Clint looked up as soon as Tony and his four-legged friend entered the room. “He’s here!” He hopped off the counter and grabbed his plate. “Give me my pasta.”

Bucky reluctantly spooned out some spaghetti and sauce onto Clint’s plate. Soon, everyone was sitting at the table with full plates of pasta, conversation flowing naturally, though everyone was avoiding any topic that could lead to the Accords. Dani was perched on the counter just behind Tony’s head, enjoying listening to the conversation as the family caught up.

She watched Tony carefully as he slowly ate single strands of spaghetti at a time, but after a few, he began to take bigger and bigger bites, until his plate was nearly empty. The pasta must have been good, and just as Dani started to realize how long it had been since she’d been able to eat anything other than cat food, Tony turned around and set a noodle on the counter in front of her. She meowed her thanks and started to chew on the noodle as best she could, discovering it was extremely difficult to eat spaghetti as a cat.

“Tones, your cat is weird.”

“Seriously, the cat eats pasta now? Man, where the hell did you get this thing?”

“Sam don’t be rude; Luna is a very sweet cat. And she’s from the streets of New York, I’m sure she’s had all kinds of food.”

Dani meowed in agreement at Steve’s logic as she finished the pasta.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, I welcome feedback and also please tell me if you see any typos or formatting issues, I've never used AO3 before(but also please be kind :)


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